


...in love and snow war

by Patcho418



Category: RWBY
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff, Snowball Fight, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28492128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Patcho418/pseuds/Patcho418
Summary: "I think this could finally be the year wedefeat Yang and Blake once and for all!” She emphasises this challenge by placing one fist against her hip and jabbing a finger towards Yang.Ruby’s enthusiasm is matched as Yang stands and mirrors her power pose. “Oh, you don’t stand achance!Blake and I have been the reigning champions since Beacon!”Blake snickers into her palm. “You mean when you pegged Weiss in the face with a snowball to try and impress me?”“Wait,” Weiss interjects, stretching her hand out over the dinner table as her eyes go wide. “So you pegged me in the face with a snowball to try andimpressBlake?”Team RWBY recall the first of their (many) snowball fights, and Blake and Yang recall how long they've been the perfect partners.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 10
Kudos: 131





	...in love and snow war

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays, [Defence](https://blake-belladonna-defence-force.tumblr.com/)!! Hope you enjoy your festive holiday bees !!
> 
> And Happy Holidays to all of y'all too!! Stay safe and be kind! 💖

Menagerie had never had snow.

Blake, of course, had always known what it was from movies and tv and books. She’d known that it was white, she’d known that it was cold, and she’d known that it was the starting point for many snowball fights and the creation of many snowmen. However, snow had never been something to come to the warm tropics of Menagerie. 

On Patch, winters had always been just cold enough to bring a buzz of heat to cheeks and the tips of noses, or to frost eyelashes over, and yet the beauty of snow falling fresh against the old cottages and between the needles of pine trees would never grow tiresome for Blake.

She watches from inside the Rose-Xiao Long house’s dining room, cheek pressed into her palm as her wistful gaze catches the occasional gust of wind blowing flecks of snow against the window. Ruby putters around the table, helping Tai to clean up the dishes from their meal, as Yang stretches against her chair with a heavy, satisfied breath.

“Snow’s gonna be perfect tomorrow,” she notes, almost as if she wants Blake or Weiss to ask-

“Perfect for what?” Weiss takes the bait, and Blake can tell by the twinkle of mischief in Yang’s eye that she’s going to regret asking.

“Perfect for a snowball fight, obviously!”

Weiss puts her hands up and scowls. “No. No way. We are _grown adults,_ Yang Xiao Long. _Huntresses_ of immense renown, not...not _children._ ”

“Grown adults can have snowball fights, Weiss,” Blake chimes in, earning her a proud smirk from Yang. “There’s no one going around arresting adults for throwing snow at each other.”

“Well there should be, with the way you two play.” Weiss crosses her arms and looks over to Ruby, who’s just come back from bringing the dishes to the kitchen. “You’ll side with me on this one, right?”

“Nope! I think this could finally be the year we _defeat Yang and Blake once and for all!_ ” She emphasises this challenge by placing one fist against her hip and jabbing a finger towards Yang.

Ruby’s enthusiasm is matched as Yang stands and mirrors her power pose. “Oh, you don’t stand a _chance!_ Blake and I have been the reigning champions since Beacon!”

Blake snickers into her palm. “You mean when you pegged Weiss in the face with a snowball to try and impress me?”

“Wait,” Weiss interjects, stretching her hand out over the dinner table as her eyes go wide. “So you pegged me in the face with a snowball to try and _impress_ Blake?”

Blake laughs again as Yang sits back down, her face glowing an embarrassed scarlet at the revelation that Yang had once told Blake very much in confidence. Winter holidays at the Rose-Xiao Long household have always revealed secrets and surprise anecdotes from their past, usually after dinner to avoid any tensions arising into another food fight, but even after being together for so many years there are new things their teammates learn about Yang and Blake’s flirty antics through the years (but some of them are just _so_ cute, Blake can hardly keep them to herself sometimes - if only to see her girlfriend turn that adorable shade of red she adores so much).

“Maybe I did,” Yang says with a shrug, lazily leaning back into her chair with feigned nonchalance. Her eyes dart quickly over to Blake, and an earnest smile spreads across her lips. “But were you impressed?”

“Relieved is probably more like it,” Blake admits, remembering the exhale that had been hidden from Weiss in the moment the snowball met her face all those years ago. “Weiss had me figured out from the start.”

“Well, it’s not like you two were ever subtle about it,” Ruby comments as she reaches for one of the dinner rolls still left on the table. “You basically bear-hugged her after to claim victory.”

“Yeah, back when Blake hated hugs!”

“I never hated them!” Blake objects. “I just...didn’t trust them is all.” Though the words come out light, she knows there’s a sinister history to the statement.

Yang watches Blake with sincerity, eyes that search but never pry, a warm and inviting smile that invites Blake to share but never demands it. It’s one of the many things that Blake’s fallen in love with about Yang, and even when words are storied beyond recitation, she always somehow finds a way to let Yang know.

Blake reaches beside her to take Yang’s hand in her own, reveling in the feeling of cool metal against her palm. Yang’s fingers curl around hers, the pads of her fingers gently brushing over Blake’s knuckles and settling the small pang of worry that bubbles in her chest at the mention of her troubled history.

Yang’s gaze remains earnest, her smile remains endearing, and Blake finds it hard not to fall completely in love again, as if transported back to that very moment where the first blow of snow had been dealt to Weiss.

“Well, I’m glad you came around,” Weiss says in a half-tease that somehow manages to stay endearing. “Now we just have to get you used to Zwei.”

“Not happening,” Blake objects with a serious tone, and the laughter that rings into the snowy night is rich and joyous. “Give me a bear hug any day.”

“So you did hate them!” Ruby calls as if she’s uncovered some obscure secret.

“I didn’t!”

“Well you’ve gotten _very_ good at escaping mine,” Yang says, giving Blake’s hand a final squeeze as she gets up and points to everyone at the table in turn. “Coffee? Coffee?”

“Tea. And I got good at it because it’s always fun to keep you on your toes,” Blake says nonchalantly, shrugging for emphasis. “You make it too easy, and flustering you is too fun.”

* * *

Her first year at the academy, when winter blew into Vale with blankets of white and a cold, harsh wind, Blake finally got to experience snow for the first time.

Ruby was the first one out that morning, bounding through snow hills with a speed and vigour Blake had become familiar with since RWBY’s formation but that nonetheless amazed her. Yang was quick to follow, balling up snow to launch at Ruby in very admirable attempts to hit her. Blake elected to stay at the door and just marvel at the blanket of white covering the canvas, twinkling like glitter against the soft snow around them, alongside Weiss, who Blake could only assume had seen enough snow in Atlas to dread the thought of putting up with it again.

Snow was...certainly colder, though, than Blake had expected, and even just standing at the dorms’ entrance watching her teammates bound around in the snow drew her to wrapping her arms around her shoulders to try and contain at least some bit of warmth.

“Did _Yang_ not offer you her jacket?” Weiss commented beside her, placing a sharp emphasis on Yang’s name - emphasized even further by the coy smirk playing across her lips.

Blake’s cheeks immediately flashed red, her skin battling against the cold with a heat she’d very quickly gotten used to since meeting Yang. The idea of Yang placing her jacket around her shoulders was certainly something she’d entertained a few times in her own mind, private thoughts about the woman she’d so quickly grown attached to but remained silent about.

Clearly not silent enough, though, if Weiss was able to pick up on it.

“Why would she?” Blake stammered defensively as she pulled her arms tighter around herself, hoping that Weiss would mistake the blush persisting on her cheeks as a result of the cold.

Unfortunately, Weiss had always been more astute than that. “I can think of a few good reasons.” Her voice was laced with smarmy curiosity; the smug knowing played in her features was one that she often displayed - though, this time, it may have been earned.

Blake cleared her throat and shrunk in on herself, hoping that maybe by making herself smaller she could escape Weiss’ scrutinous gaze and prying words. Her feelings were all still so new, still fresh like the wounds she’d carried to Beacon, nursing them under cover of night. Even if she did like Yang, she figured, it would be a long time before she’d allow herself to indulge that attraction.

However, a melodic “Heads up!” and a white explosion of snow next to her were her rescue, and she only barely managed to sidestep the residual chunks of snow from a snowball striking Weiss in the face, eliciting a string of irritated curses from Weiss.

Blake looked over to Ruby and Yang, barely stifling a huff of laughter at the sight of Yang hunched over, bracing herself against her knees as her riotous howling echoed around the campus; beside her, Ruby, stared at Weiss in mixed amusement and horror.

Weiss grunted and wiped the snow from her face, her expression contorting into annoyance as she cleared the remaining bits of snow from her cheeks. Blake wondered if Weiss would allow herself to sink to their level in the name of retribution, and readied herself to prepare a snowball and side with Yang if that would be the case.

“Ruby,” Weiss began, her voice stern and commanding, “let’s kick her butt!”

_Bam!_

Blake’s snowball struck true, exploding against Weiss’ back as she darted away from her teammate and over to Yang, the rush of the imminent battle and the excitement of siding with Yang keeping her warm against the cold she’d still not grown fully used to yet.

“Blake Belladonna!” Weiss chirped, readying a snowball to launch at her opponent.

“Aw, yeah! Blake’s joining Team Cool!” Yang exclaimed, already maneuvering out of the way of a snowball directed at her from Ruby.

“Not if we’re calling it ‘Team Cool’.” Though Blake’s tease was spoken in a sure tone, her racing heart skipped the faintest of beats uttering the words aloud; when Yang looked over to her with the dopiest of grins, however, she was sure her heart had stopped for a whole several beats longer.

“‘Team Cool Girls Who Are Gonna Kick Weiss’ Butt’, then?”

“Hey!”

Blake nodded. “Now that’s better.”

“ _Hey!_ ”

The ensuing battle, tense and frigid as it may have been, was swift. With frosty breath and rosy cheeks, Yang rose above Ruby to deliver a final, snowy blow, earning a repentant surrender from Ruby as the snowball struck her chest. Blake stood aside from her partner, more than content to enjoy the joyful glow of orange that flashed in her partner’s hair and the whoop of pride she shouted into the cold air, pumping her fist in victory.

“Nice try, guys,” Blake said, switching her attention between Weiss and Ruby, lingering only slightly longer on Weiss to delight in the defeated scowl she wore with as much despair as Yang beamed with joy. “Guess Yang and I just make a great-”

Suddenly, Blake felt a pair of strong arms loop around her, bracing her against someone’s chest; she recognized the characteristic scent of citrus from Yang, and in turning her head confirmed her suspicions, seeing Yang pulling her close and smiling devilishly.

Blake’s cheeks burned. “Yang! What are you doing?”

“Claiming my final victory!”

“Are you... _betraying_ me?” Blake asked, playing up the drama in her statement.

“Maybe I am.” Yang held her closer, tighter, and she could hardly even be upset when she got to be this close to Yang and feel her warmth buzzing through her jacket. “That’s just how it is in love and snow war, Blake.”

“Oh, is it?” Blake allowed herself to sound brash, even if - pressed up against Yang - it came out a little bit shaky.

Yang raised a questioning eyebrow at Blake. “What are you playing at, Belladonna?”

“I’m not playing at anything, _Xiao Long,_ ” Blake lied, and before Yang could decipher the lie, Blake had already vanished from her grip, leaving a shadow in her wake as she maneuvered behind Yang with unmatched speed. 

Shocked, Yang pulled back to try and look for her, but she was too slow to stop Blake from picking up a handful of snow (and ignoring just how cold it was against her bare hands) before reaching for Yang’s collar with her free hand and dropping the snow down her back.

Yang let out a yelp of surprise as she wriggled free from Blake’s hand, shuffling and writhing as the snow pressed against the back of her jacket, melting into water that dripped free out the bottom. This time, Blake allowed herself a freer laugh, one that was matched first by Ruby, then by Weiss.

“Ugh, that was foul play,” Yang grumbled after finally freeing herself from the icy assault. 

“So was bear-hugging me when the battle was over,” Blake countered smartly, a clever smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth, “so I guess we’re even.”

A dark blush pressed into Yang’s cheeks as she pouted stubbornly for a moment, and Blake couldn’t help but find her even more adorable in this state. 

“Alright, well, I’m cold,” Weiss stated, stepping forward as she brushed away the snow from her sleeves. “If you two are done, I’d like to go inside and warm up before I get hypothermia.”

“Weiss, you’re so dramatic,” Ruby chuckled. “You won’t get hypothermia!”

“If I get hypothermia, I have every right to say ‘I told you so’.”

Blake rolled her eyes, though as Yang’s expression warmed at the banter she felt her own self-satisfaction melt away. As much enjoyment as she gleaned from getting a rise out of Yang, what made it more worth it was getting to spend time with her and getting to hear her laugh. Getting Yang to laugh or smile wasn’t exactly hard, but she treasured it nonetheless, and hopefully would get to continue to treasure it for a long time.

And she couldn’t deny it was nice when Yang made her smile in return, of course. 

She’d been doing a lot of that recently ever since Yang came into her life.

“You wanna go grab some coffee before class, then?” Yang asked, waltzing up beside Blake with a joyful spring in her step to match the grin pulling across her face.

“Tea, please.”

* * *

“Tea’s ready,” Yang says, her arm coming into Blake’s periphery as she places the steaming mug in front of Blake. As she pulls away, her fingers curl against Blake’s cheek and skate gentle lines against her skin. Blake revels in the sensation for a moment before reaching to take Yang’s hand in her own, pressing a light kiss against her thumb before letting Yang go.

“Thanks, babe,” Blake purrs as Yang takes her seat beside her. Outside, the night sky darkens, a sheet of navy blue pressed against the frosty windows. Years have passed since her first winter at Beacon, and still the sight of snow blanketing the world outside brings with it memories that keep her heart warm.

Ruby and Weiss were quick to clear out after Yang had brought them their coffees, Weiss eyeing the two of them up with her typically scrutinous gaze and a smirk that was just barely sweet enough to not be insufferable. The dining room falls into a still, peaceful quiet now, the wind blowing specks of white outside the window, steam rising to coat Blake’s chin in a warmth that keeps the chilly shudder of winter at bay.

“So what do you think?” Yang asks, her voice low enough not to disturb the peace around them.

“About what?”

“About getting the team back together.” When Blake blinks at Yang in confusion, Yang’s smile turns cheeky and she peaks quickly over her shoulder before turning back to Blake. “‘Team Cool Girls Who Are Gonna Kick Weiss’ Butt’!”

Blake snickers at the name - it’s never not been over-the-top beyond belief - and takes a thoughtful sip of her tea, though her mind’s already made up the moment her lips meet the rim of her mug. She instead chooses to draw out the moment for dramatic effect, as if their decision in this moment is a tense, delicate matter, and Yang watches with bated breath for her verdict.

“Count me in,” Blake agrees as she lowers her mug, to which Yang silently whoops. “As long as you don’t betray me like every other time.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Belladonna,” Yang murmurs, and Blake picks up on the heat in her voice well-enough to expect treachery. “Should we go over our battle plan for tomorrow? I wanna catch them by surprise.”

“We could,” Blake begins quietly, letting her hand find Yang’s again as though there’s a timer on how long she can be out of Yang’s hold and it’s only just run out, “but I think right now I’d rather just sit with you. It’s not every night I get to watch it snow outside with my beautiful girlfriend.”

Yang nods in gentle agreement. “I’m glad we both think I’m beautiful.”

“I take it back.”

Yang laughs, a melodic sound that’s just one of the other reasons to make the cozy winter night so beautiful. Blake allows herself a moment to smile along to Yang’s amusement before her fingers curl around her mug, settling into the warmth brought on both by the beverage in-hand and the heat buzzing from Yang beside her.

Once Yang’s finally finished laughing, she lets out a sigh and lays her head against Blake’s, letting out a tranquil sigh. “So tonight we relax and snuggle, and tomorrow we kick Weiss’ butt again?”

Blake nods against Yang’s head, rolling her eyes in endearment before they flutter closed in tranquility. “You're such a flirt.”


End file.
